what do paranormal "shadows" look like?
I'm not trying to mock those of you who have seen them, but I've been watching a lot of Paranormal State recently and they often talk about seeing "shadows." Are they like legit shadows on the walls, ceilings, and floors, or are they almost like black mist in the middle of the room? Your shadow experiences would be great, too! 
and if they don't appear on the wall, can you see through them just like a normal shadow?
Comments
Shadow people (also known as shadow figures, shadow beings, shadow men, or shadow folk) are supernatural shadow-like figures of both modern folklore and paranormal popular culture that believers describe as dark humanoid forms or evasive specters that are seen mostly in peripheral vision.
Currently I have a male shadow person, wearing a long coat and western style hat, who often walks from my laundry room into my computer room. Last night my Doberman sat on the bed just staring at the door opening, at the exact spot where I often see this shadow person.
Personally speaking, I've only seen one once...and it was solid black like a shadow that should have been cast against the wall or floor but was standing straight up instead.
There was another time, this was back during a time that I lived in a haunted house with a friend. We both saw hooded figures running along the walls. They were shadows cast against the walls without anyone there to cast them and these figures were literally running along the walls. I think it was one of the most scariest experiences in my life. We stayed in a hotel that night. I don't think they were shadow people though...I don't know what they were. Wow, I've never told anyone about that.
I have seen a dark black shadow, first I hear someone with heavy boots coming up the stairs, I was already up stairs in a dead end hallway sorting somethings, not paying any attention, I heard the boots coming up the stairs, and in the corner of my eye saw a talk black shadow go into one of the bedrooms, I went in there, and there was no one in there.
I woke up on night to my blanket being slid off me slowly, I woke to see a completely white shadow with a glow at the foot of my bed. Then it's thoughts popped in my head, it said, "He can see me."
I saw what looked like a gray shadow, but it was see through, and floated.
Intel~
Riley,I have had an encounter with a negative shadow person in a friends home,I had spent the night and woke up at 3:00 am in the morning,I looked down the hallway and saw this tall dark figure making it's way towards me.I was terrified,you could tell that it was a tall man,it reached the end of the bed and when it did,it physically grabbed both of my ankles and pulled me towards it,my first reaction was to sit up and when I did,it appeared to be a rifle pointed in my face,I grabbed the barrow of it and when I did the entity disappeared.I woke up my friend and told her what had happened,she then told me that a man had shot and killed his little girl in the bedroom that I was in and then he turned the rifle on himself.I never went back to the friends home again! Now as far as spirits appearing,sometimes you can see shadows on the wall or some times they can manifest as black mists or full body apparitions.I've had a lot more experiences but this was by far my scariest one.
Tomb Raider
Spirits can look like shadows like any ones shadow.And, some are solid some are misty some are blotchy. Some are tall, short and up high, down low and may float in mid air. Spirits can seem as solid as if they were still living breathing carbon bodies. There is no set rule as far as how they can show up.
Freak the brains. Take care of my niece after school for a couple of hours and we were outside and she said I saw your mother and she is a ghost. She pretty much describe her as you describe
They look like this apparently: http://thehatmanproject.com/?page_id=43
you know how if you stare at something for a long time then move your eyes you can kinda still see it? bingo.